People here in Indian-controlled Kashmir commemorated the Jammu martyrs’ day. The day marks the massacre of hundreds and thousands of Muslims against the backdrop of the bloodied partition of the erstwhile British India in 1947.

At a seminar organised by Hurriyat Conference, the conglomerate of pro-freedom groups, in Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar, the speakers paid glowing tributes to those brutally massacred some 66 years ago.

Around 300,000 Muslims, including women and children, were slaughtered on November 06, 1947 while migrating to the newly formed state Pakistan.

Observers say the carnage was organised and orchestrated by Hindu extremist groups led by the then Hindu ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, to prevent people from acceding to Pakistan. The massacre took place near Jammu-Sialkote border.

Every year, people across Indian controlled Kashmir get together to remember the sacrifices rendered by Jammu Muslims on this day and organise seminars and conferences to pay tributes to them.

In one of the least known genocides in modern history, more than 300,000 Muslims were mowed down in cold blooded fashion. For the people in Kashmir, the day is part of a collective memory of oppression and resistance and serves as a reminder of struggles ahead.